By Dianne Anderson Now is not a good time for pharmacies to bail out and close up shop, leaving those who need services the most – people of color – without access to medication. But that’s exactly what’s happening in a national trend by pharmacy chains in recent years across the U.S., and more of ...

Rising Above Racism By Dianne Anderson In Orange County, where Black students make up just a small percentage at local elementary schools, it’s easy for kids to lose their sense of self in a sea of faces where few or none of the others look like them. A new program from the Orange County Branch ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Nat’l Correspondent President Joe Biden signed a series of executive orders that his less than two-week-old administration hopes will be a catalyst to tackling America’s long-standing race problem. Biden’s action focused on equity and included police and prison reform and public housing. “America has never lived up to ...

By Dianne Anderson Social justice, criminal justice, and diversity awareness has stepped up the conversation for activists and students a few notches this past year in light of continued protests against police brutality and increased hate crime, sometimes both occupying the same space. In Orange County, late numbers show that the African American population is ...

By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media     In the Aug. 16 premiere of the HBO show “Lovecraft Country,” created by Misha Green and based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, the main characters drive past a sign that reads “[N-word]s, don’t let the sun set on you here. Understand?” Towns that banned African Americans in the mid-20th century would, either ...

By Antonio Ray Harvey and Manny Otiko California Black Media This past weekend, the Mississippi Legislature approved the removal of the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. It’s a sign of the times, historians say, that speaks to the turning spirit of the nation – even happening in a state that has remained a proud stronghold, clinging to enduring customs that nod to a romanticized version of the “Old South.” Gov. Tate Reeves said he will sign the bill into law. The deep south state ...

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. Today, Americans are facing unprecedented times. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, our country has fallen into an economic recession, and hundreds of thousands are protesting police brutality and racial injustice. But there is another epidemic in this country that must be addressed, and it must ...

By Dianne Anderson Global protests now in week three of the cold-blooded police killing of George Floyd galvanized Black leaders nationally, and pressing local organizations to address racism, public health and public safety on all fronts. Rethink Public Safety San Bernardino Coalition (RPSSB) is leading the charge to initiate change. Last month, the coalition mobilized ...

By Dianne Anderson As the COVID-19 death toll continues to rise in the Black community, Riverside activists are urgently pressing to form a countywide African American task force to address racism as a public health crisis. Community activist Corey Jackson said that his organization, Sigma Beta Xi, along with Riverside NAACP, COPE. Riverside County Black ...

By Dianne Anderson What could be worse than racism? Apparently one of its many side effects — chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is blamed for the root cause of a number of diseases, like cancer, arthritis, depression, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Last month, USC and UCLA researchers unveiled their recent RNA tests connecting the stress ...